Kusadasi, one of the first Turkish towns to become a tourism center, has been in a different kind of rush in recent months. Restaurants, jewelery shops, even leather artisans are involved in real estate. The reason behind it is because the foreigners who come to the town come in large groups to purchase property. There has been a considerable increase in the number of properties sold to foreigners. Figures provided by Kusadasi local administrator Ahmet Ali Baris support this recent increase in the number of asset acquisitions.
He said: “Until now, 2,023 properties have been sold to foreigners in the area. Around 600 of them were sold in the last 18 months. There are also acquisition applications waiting to be processed. The number of properties sold will increase considerably once they are processed.”
Baris noted: “Anyone can see the rejuvenation of the town. Wherever you go, you see billboards advertising new properties for sale. We are trying to control the situation to avoid damaging Kusadasi's image. We are taking precautions to prevent fraud and other problems from occurring.”
Real estate agents are everywhere. “Estate Agent” notices feature almost all the shops. Due to Irish and British citizens being the people most drawn to Kusadasi, one can see sales advertisements in all shop windows. While I was going to the municipal building, I saw a leather shop, where half of the front window featured leather products and the property sales advertisements. Selling property and leather products in the same shop!
I entered the shop and asked about this strange mix of occupations. Okan Bicersoy, the talented individual who manages the establishment, smiled and said: “Our real occupation is tourism. We started to sell real estate due to customers' demands. Every year one occupation becomes more popular than the others. For the last two years there has been a move towards the real estate sector. It would violate the commercial principles of the region and the sector not to be involved in real estate. Until we establish our own separate real estate office, we will work from this shop. After that, we'll also get involved in construction.”
Bicersoy also admits that the high number of real estate businesses could cause certain problems, adding: “Shopkeepers will always be shopkeepers. They sold three villas in the same cooperative for three different prices: one for 50,000 euros, another for 80,000 euros and one for 120,000 euros. Of course, the owners talk to each other, and when they hear about the discrepancies they file complaints.”
Realtors' association founded:
Price discrepancy is not the only reason foreigners complain. One of the most serious problems is the fraud that takes place when the purchase transaction takes place. Foreigners who do not want to wait until all the paperwork is completed purchase properties in the name of a Turkish citizen, usually the real estate agent himself. The foreigners tend to pay the money and later transfer the title of the property to themselves. This is when most of the problems occur. According to Kusadasi Real Estate Agents Assistance and Cooperation Association (KUSEMDER) figures, there are around 150 to 200 complaints filed due to problems that occur during this process. Association President Mustafa Oguzkan, who has been involved in the real estate business for many years, is disturbed about the chaos that has ensued in recent years.
“We see real estate advertisements featured in restaurants and even promoted by street vendors.”
Oguzkan founded the association to put a stop to the chaos after the number of real estate agents increased to more than 300. KUSEMDER has printed and distributed guidelines that need to be followed by all agents. They are trying to prevent chaos and conduct inspections with the cooperation of local government officials.
‘They come in droves'
The municipal government is also one of the institutions that are trying to adapt to the incredible pace of change in the region. Kusadasi Mayor Fuat Akdogan said they had established a new bureau and a complaint department just to resolve the problems and inquiries on property acquisitions by foreigners.
“There are two large companies, one in Germany and another in Ireland, that fly people here just for property purchases. An Irish company even bought land and built villas there in accordance with their plans. They finished the construction of the villas before summer. The number of foreigners who live here is increasing rapidly. As of the year 2000, 1,130 foreigners had moved to Kusadasi. Now the figure is 4,990,” he said.
When asked about the reason behind the increase in popularity of real estate, he said it was due to the efforts undertaken by Turkey to adhere to European Union norms. He said, “They believe Turkey's EU membership will increase property values.”
Leather shop manager and realtor Bicersoy admitted that the mayor's opinion was correct but added: “There is also the matter of money laundering. Those who have some money stashed aside want to capitalize on the fact that Turkey is not yet an EU member.”
Despite the differing opinions, the one thing all Kusadasi natives agree on is the need to channel this new interest in a direction that can benefit the municipality.
Administrator Baris said he wanted to resolve the “summer house” problem by utilizing the opportunity presented by purchases made by foreigners. He said the summerhouses owned by Turks were normally used only for a few weeks in the summer and that the buildings aged quite quickly due to a lack of upkeep. Baris, who, just like all the others in Kusadasi had great expectations for the future, said, “Those houses can be utilized in a way to benefit the region.”
So; Please deal with
Real Real Estate Agents
Source:TurkishDailynews
